The Aurora University Spartan indoor men's track and field team brings back a lot of experience from previous years, along with a lot of new faces to help to the mix. Returning for his third season as head coach, Ryan Chapman expects a lot of his team early on and throughout the season. Coming off a

spectacular year with two NCAA qualifiers, the Spartans finished fifth in the Northern Athletics Conference Championships with 66.5 points.

This year AU will rely on throwers senior Jesus Gonzalez (Aurora, Ill. / Aurora Central Catholic) and junior Eric Capshaw (Plano, Ill./Plano). Senior sprinters Evan Hackbarth (Dixon, Ill. / Dixon), Mike Langhurst (Merrillville, Ind. / Merrillville) and distance runner Keith Burke (Westville, Ill. / Westville) all look to come off promising junior year campaigns. Other juniors who look to contribute are sprinters Dan Larsen (Antoich, Ill. / Antioch), Robert Lopez (Huntley, Ill. / Huntley) and Amos Tang (Lisle, Ill. / Lisle). Junior thrower Adam Johnson (Hanover Park, Ill. / Lake Park) also looks to be a key contributor for the team.

Newcomers to the track and field team but not to AU are sophomore Drew Schmitt (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) and junior Mark Sulkin (Elmhurst, Ill./York). Both Schmitt and Sulkin made strong impressions during the cross country season and look to maintain the record-setting momentum heading into the winter.

AU starts the season with a field-only meet at noon on January 14 at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill.